Slidell resident Kenneth Bourg had intended to go on a fishing trip this weekend, but an apparent electrical fire in his garage Tuesday night derailed those plans.

Bourg and his wife, Marilee, were awakened about 11:15 p.m. by a faint beeping noise, coming from the garage of their home at 1652 Eastwood Drive. Since she didn’t initially smell any smoke, Marilee assumed the batteries in one of the smoke detectors were dying.

She nudged her husband to go disconnect the device.

Marilee Bourg peers at the melted siding and insulation that litters her yard after an intense fire that started in the garage Tuesday night. (Staff Photo by Anne Lautzenheiser)

“He opened the door to the garage, and it was just fully engulfed,” said Marilee. “We called 911, then just grabbed the dog and got out of there.”

Members of Fire District 1 arrived about two minutes later, Marilee said. Investigators said the point of origin for the blaze appeared to be an electrical outlet in the corner of the garage, where some outside lighting was connected.

“I think they had a power surge the day before, and there was some lightening in the area,” said Chief of Fire Prevention Neil Ricca. “Both of those things could have been a factor.”

Marilee said she felt numb as she stood outside her home, watching waves of flame roll out of the garage. The intense heat singed the paint on her car, while littering the yard with melted insulation and pieces of siding.

Kenneth’s fishing boat, already loaded with supplies for his trip, was inside the garage at the time of the fire. The boat’s brand new motor is now a twisted hunk of metal, although plastic water bottles stored inside a cooler somehow remained intact. Husband and wife both marveled at the firefighters’ bravery.

“Here we are running out of the house, and they’re throwing on all their gear and running right in,” she said. “I’ve always had respect for the fire department, but now I’m just in awe.”

The blaze was contained to the garage, although severe smoke damage in the rest of the house means the couple will be forced to live in a rental home while repairs are made. No injuries were reported, which is the best part of the whole episode, according to Kenneth.

“We’re all alive, and eventually we’ll get back in the house,” he said. “That’s the way we have to look at it.”